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Training and Development Policy Wiki

Page History: Executive Onboarding

Page Revision: 2/11/2011 3:38:58 PM

Executive Onboarding

While the terms onboarding and orientation are sometimes used interchangeably they are notably different. Nevertheless, they are both critical processes in the successul assimilation of new hires. Here are some important distinctions between the two:

Onboarding

Orientation

Strategic with an impact on bottom-line results

Operational

Evolving and progressive

Traditional

An ongoing process

An event

Used for transferred and promoted employees, as well as new hires

Is most often limited to new employees

Delivers information that is unique and customized to the individual employee and is generally handed out on an as-needed basis

Delivers information that is common to all new hires usually within a classroom setting

Has a long-term focus, and can last up to a year or more

Is a short term program, typically lasting from one day to two weeks

The sooner a new employee experiences the benefits of a comprehensive and well-implemented orientation and onboarding program, the sooner the employee will become a contributing member of that organization.

Executive Onboarding

Executive onboarding is acquiring, accommodating, assimilating and accelerating new leaders into the organizational culture and business[1]. The best onboarding strategies will provide a fast track to meaningful, productive work and strong employee relationships[2] and be tailored specifically to the needs of the individual. Executive onboarding should be strategic, so that it not only prevents executive derailment, but expedites the executive’s contribution to optimize strategic achievement. Getting On Board: A Model for Integrating and Engaging New Employees is a report created from a study conducted by the Partnership for Public Service (PPS) and Booz Allen Hamilton in 2008. The study states that successfully onboarding employees during their first year of service increases engagement, raises retention by as much as 25 percent, improves performance and hastens the time to full productivity.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recognizes the value of ongoing assimilation into an organization and so includes a year-long orientation process among the five components of its new End-to-End (E2E) Hiring Roadmap. Though not specifically geared toward leadership positions, the E2E Hiring Roadmap can be used to help assure federal agencies recruit and retain the top talent they need to meet the complex challenges of the 21st century.

Onboarding of key executives is even more critical than it is for other employees because of the significantly greater performance expectations leaders face and the greater impact they have on the overall performance of the organization. Some federal agencies like the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) have established very comprehensive onboarding programs for their employees and their executives. Other agencies with executive onboarding programs are the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Treasury’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

OPM in partnership with the Senior Executive Association (SEA) and the Partnership for Public Service (PPS), hosted an event where115 individuals; including expert consultants, experienced and newer Senior Executive Service (SES) members and executive resources (ER) and training professionals, gathered from across agencies to discuss the importance of, and challenges to, onboarding federal senior executives. As a result of this collaborative effort, OPM developed a Governmentwide Executive Onboarding Framework and Executive Onboarding Manual. These documents are tools to assist agencies in creating a business case for and ultimately implementing an executive onboarding program for their new leaders.

Stay Current

(What can I learn to help me refresh my knowledge base and add value?)

Mentoring and coaching are instrumental to maximize learning and development. The OPM Best Practices: Mentoring document is a tool to assist agencies in creating a business case for mentoring with an outline of the critical steps in developing and implementing a formal mentoring program. The Patent and Trademark Office have also created a Mentoring Toolkit that can be useful in developing a mentoring program. The American Management Association’s document Coaching: A Global Study of Successful Practices 1 explains results of a survey of more than 1,000 business leaders around the world on effectiveness of coaching as a means of increasing employees’ individual productivity. These documents can be useful in developing, maintaining and evaluating your mentoring and coaching programs.

A number of agencies have implemented successful mentoring programs.Here are some examples:

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has adopted a comprehensive approach to formal and informal mentoring. DOE’s mentoring website contains resources for mentors and protégés.Included in DOE’s website are profile sheets and tool kits for both mentors and protégés, and a general mentoring guide. For more information on DOE’s program, contact Deadra Welcome at Deadra.Welcome@hq.doe.gov

National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a component of DOEimplemented an online mentoring program. The online mentoring program uses an interactive website and database to connect mentors to protégés in NNSA facilities across the country.The program helps protégés assess their needs, find mentors and schedule sessions.For more information on NNSA’s program, contact Jeffrey Vargas at Jeffrey.Vargas@nnsa.doe.gov

U.S. Department of State and United States Agency for International Development:

U.S. Department of State (State) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) run a joint formal mentoring program for their civil service employees. The program’s primary goals are to foster development and professional growth for participants. The program also helps participants understand the cultures of State and USAID and supports succession planning. The program lasts nine months.

Civil service employees in both State and USAID can participate as either mentors or protégés. Foreign Service employees may participate as mentors. Mentors and protégés complete an application online. Once their applications are completed, mentors and protégés may indicate their preferred partners after viewing their biographies and other relevant information online.The pairs are matched by a Mentoring Committee. Participants are required to attend a one-day mentor/protégé skills training session. During the nine months, mentors and protégés meet for two to four hours a month.The pairs complete a mentoring agreement outlining roles, expectations, and meeting logistics. Each protégé completes a mentoring action plan. The plan identifies three developmental needs of the protégé to be addressed during the program. Pairs have the option to attend mentoring forums and workshops during the program. These forums and workshops focus on skill and career development.

State and USAID also run a situational mentoring program. Situational mentors may help employees solve a particular problem, find an expert to answer a question, teach new skills, or help an employee complete a project. Situational mentors can lend assistance for as little as a one-time meeting to discuss a problem or as long as it takes to complete a long-term project. Situational mentors may also provide guidance and support that can last throughout one’s career.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) currently supports two formal mentoring programs for non-supervisory employees:one for PBGC non-supervisory employees in grades 5-11, and one for PBGC non-supervisory employees in grades 12-14. Mentors for the grades 5-11 group are PBGC non-supervisory employees in grades 12-15, while mentors for the grades 12-14 group are supervisors and managers from grade 14 to Senior Leader level.

The Mentoring Program for Non-Supervisory Employees helps to develop a diverse, informed and high performance workforce by providing a framework in which program participants can broaden their knowledge of PBGC, enhance their skills and abilities for personal growth and increase their sense of involvement in PBGC.

For more information on PBGC’s mentoring program for non-supervisory employees, contact Barbara Clay, Career Development Program Manager, clay.barbara@pbgc.gov; 202 326 4110 ext 3182

Every year the National Institutes of Health (NIH) hosts a Federal Mentoring Roundtable. This is a free event that provides a forum for discussion about mentoring challenges, opportunities and successes.For more information contact James Dean atJames.Dean@nih.hhs.gov.

National Cancer Institute, Executive and Leadership Coaching Program

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) offers executive coaching to GS-14's and above. These individuals may self refer to the executive coaching program. NCI also offers a leadership coaching program for GS-12 and 13s. These individuals may participate in the program pending supervisor approval. For more information contact Nicole Vennell at vennelln@mail.nih.gov

Find Opportunities
(What can be done to create mentoring and coaching opportunities?)

Professional associations, alumni gatherings and government and industry conferences and events are good places to find potential mentors and coaches. In today's tech-savvy world, some find mentors/coaches via:

How to Build a Mentoring Program; A Mentoring Program Toolkit, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: This is a toolkit developed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (U.S. PTO) on how to develop and maintain an effective mentoring program. If you would like to have a copy of the toolkit, please contact Rosemary Saberton or Al Halstead.

The Manager’s Mentors, Inc:The Manager’s Mentors, Inc. (MMHA) is an organization dedicated to enhancing the total quality organization’s results and productivity of self-directed individuals.MMHA provides articles on their website, workshops, and consulting services.

We are working on developing content for integration into an entry-on-duty system that will help new employees become oriented to the Bureau. Has anyone else developed content for this purpose? We are looking for ideas as to what types of content might be of greatest value. We already have plans for an acronym list/game, virtual tours of facilities, stories of other employees' first day on the job, video welcome from the Director, etc. but are open to other ideas. We also are thinking about a Facebook or social media site for new employees and are wondering whether anyone else has done this and whether it was successful.

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